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Each year, the national FFA organization honors FFA members who show their dedication to the organization through their desire to develop their potential for leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

The American FFA Degree is bestowed upon a select group of students in recognition of their years of academic and professional excellence. This year, 3,780 degrees were awarded.

Danielle Timm, a member of the Gillett FFA chapter, was among the degree recipients at the 89th National FFA Convention & Expo on Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.

The award recognizes demonstrated ability and outstanding achievements in agricultural business, production, processing or service programs.

Seventh-grade students at Washington Middle School in Oconto Falls have participated in a number of community service projects as part of their civics class.

Students are learning that part of being good citizens is volunteering and helping to make their community a better place. To reinforce this concept, students undertook a variety of community service projects that each class chose. Projects included working on the landscaping around the school, cleaning up a community nature trail, and helping elderly community members with fall yard cleanup.

Oconto Falls High School is running a science club for the 2016-2017 school year.

During the summer, science teachers from the school were contacted to see if there might be interest in having an active science club.

During the first week of school, an informational meeting was held to determine if there were enough students interested. Co-advisers Candis Behnke and Connie Rauterkus were surprised to learn 46 students were interested in joining.

At the first meeting, junior Dylan Senn was elect club president. The rest of the officer team is Cameron Box, vice president, Peter Murphy, secretary, Sam Molitor, treasurer, Corrina Romandine, reporter, and Eliza Bradford and Noah Kokko-Ludemann, events coordinators.

Approximately 80 past and present servicemen and servicewomen, along with other guests, attended a Veterans Day assembly Friday at Oconto Falls Elementary School.

The gymnasium was filled to capacity as students and staff said thank you to those who have kept the U.S. safe, protected the freedom of its citizens, and helped to bring peace and freedom to others around the world.

The program included student speakers, patriotic songs by students and staff and recognition of each veteran present.

The program also included the introduction of a school project to raise funds for the Old Glory Honor Flight network, whose mission is to transport American veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.

Following the assembly, veterans and their guests were treated to lunch at the school.

The Oconto Falls High School drama team is in production with hopes of making a return trip to the state competition for high school theater. Successfully completing the district level at Tomahawk, the Panthers move on to sectionals at Ashwaubenon, with their eyes set on state at Stevens Point in mid-November.

This year’s entry is the one-act comedy, “The Magician’s Daughter or The Villain Refused to Disappear,” a modern-day twist to the old-style melodrama.

Dastardly doings are happening within a run-down professional theater in Sagebrush, Nevada. The evil theater owner schemes to make ailing magician Alexandra the Great disappear so he can steal both her act and her lovely daughter. He fools the magician’s fading-rose assistant into helping set up a fatal stage trick. Can the heroic and love-struck young stage manager come to the rescue in time?

A surge at Oconto Falls Elementary School drove up enrollment numbers in the Oconto Falls School District for the 2016-17 school year.

According to figures presented to the School Board on Monday, enrollment at OFES is up from 549 students in September 2015 to 577 as of Sept. 16, the third Friday of the month when the official census is taken at public schools statewide. The increase of 28 students at OFES contributed to the overall growth in the school district, with 1,748 students enrolled in 2016, 30 more than 2015.

A preliminary enrollment count taken Sept. 7 indicated OFES grew by nearly 50 students from September 2015, but miscommunication led staff members to count a dozen early childhood students twice, artificially inflating the numbers, Superintendent Dean Hess said.

Transient families moving out of the district also caused student numbers to fall from Sept. 7-16.

Times Herald photo by Joan Koehne
Students arrive at Oconto Falls Elementary School on Monday morning and walk beneath the “Committed to Excellence” message that serves as a guide for education in the school district. The elementary school won recognition in the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program for closing achievement gaps between student groups.

Oconto Falls Elementary School is one of 329 public elementary schools gaining national recognition in the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Oconto Falls Elementary was nominated by State Superintendent Tony Evers in January for closing achievement gaps among student groups.

“The recognition is appreciated, as the staff is highly committed to making Oconto Falls Elementary a great place for kids,” Principal Dan Moore said. “It’s the result of countless hours of hard work by many — a true team effort.”

Eight schools in Wisconsin won the Blue Ribbon award. On Nov. 7 and 8, the U.S. Department of Education will formally recognize the 279 public and 50 private schools at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Moore said the school will not send representatives to Washington, D.C., but will organize a celebratory assembly at the school.